Left at the Marriage Bureau

Caleb and I were at City Hall, one photo away from being legally married when his phone rang. He took the call and left.
Just like that. Left me standing alone at the marriage license counter, trapped between moving forward and turning back.
I called him. No answer.
I texted him. No reply.
Finally, I had to find the number for his childhood friend, Leah, and dial it. Caleb picked up.
Karen, can you stop being so damn annoying? Leah sprained her ankle. Im taking care of her today. Stop calling and waking her up. Well just have to reschedule the wedding.
I bit my lip, my voice a low murmur. Including this time, weve rescheduled seven times.
So what? City Hall isnt going anywhere. Its not like its going to disappear!
My face was a mask of calm, but inside, a familiar blade twisted in my gut.
The clerk looked at me with pity. Maam, are you still proceeding?
I nodded slowly.
Yes. I am.

1
I called my best friend Zoes older brother and accepted his offer.
After hanging up, I asked the clerk to hold my spot for a little while.
Before the numbness could fully set in, Ryder arrived.
He pulled up on a sleek, powerful motorcycle. The moment he strode in, helmet under his arm, all eyes in the office snapped to him.
He walked right up to me and dropped into the chair beside mine, crossing his long legs. A teasing smile played on his lips.
So, you finally came to your senses? Ready to fake-marry me to get your family off your back?
I gave a small, tight nod.
But it wasn't just about appeasing my family. The most important thing was giving my grandfather peace of mind before he was gone.
Six months ago, his health had taken a sharp decline. He was in the hospital day in and day out, and every time I visited, hed ask when I was getting married.
He wanted to see me in a wedding dress.
He wanted to see me walk down the aisle.
He said that way, even after he was gone, hed know someone was there to love and protect me.
Thats why Id been pushing Caleb to get married for the past six months.
We had come to City Hall seven times, and every single time, something had come up, and we had left without a license.
Last time, it was because Leah was on her period, and the cramps were so bad he had to rush home to make her some tea and bring her a heating pad.
The time before that, Leah had lost her keys and was locked out, so he had to go let her in.
And the time before that, Leah was hungry and craving pho from that one specific place on the other side of the city, and he had to go stand in line for her.
Seven times. Every single time, it was because of Leah. Every single time, Caleb dropped everything, dropped me, without a second thought.
The irony was crushing. I had given him seven chances.
And he wouldn't even spare me the few minutes it would take to snap a photo.
Honestly, when Caleb left this time, I wasn't even that sad.
Maybe I was used to it. Maybe I had expected it.
But my grandfathers words from a few weeks ago echoed in my mind.
My sweet Karen, Im afraid I dont have much time left. I might not get to see you in your wedding dress. But promise me, even if youre alone, youll live bravely. Dont let anyone bully you.
I promised him I would be brave.
And this time, I wouldnt back down.
Caleb, I gave you your chances. Seven of them.
The paperwork with Ryder went smoothly.
But just as we were about to have our photo taken, my phone buzzed.
A text from Caleb.
[Hey, Karen, don't be mad. I really couldn't get away this time, but Ive made your favorite dinner to make it up to you. Come home soon~]
Ryder glanced at my screen, his voice laced with lazy amusement.
You still want to go through with this?
I took a deep breath, my expression unreadable.
Yes.
We finished the process and walked out of City Hall, marriage certificate in hand.
Are you busy tomorrow? I asked Ryder before he left. Theres something I need you to do with me.
He swung a leg over his bike. Call me if you need anything. Who knows, in a couple of days, I might need you to play your part for my parents.
And with a roar of the engine, he was gone.
Life felt so surreal.
Seven years togetherfour in college, three afterand my relationship with Caleb had crumbled at the finish line.
And now I was married to my best friends brother, a man Id only met once before.
On the way home, Caleb sent another message, this time with a picture.
The dining table was covered with an elaborate spread of food.
[Why aren't you home yet? Dinner's ready! If you're late, it'll all be gone!]
He was a man of his word.
By the time I walked through the door, the table was a wasteland of empty plates and picked-over dishes.
Leah sat there, putting on her best innocent act.
Oh, Karen, Im so sorry, she said, her voice dripping with fake sympathy. I was just starving, so I couldn't wait and started without you.
Even I wasnt dense enough to miss the challenge in her eyes.
A hot rush of anger surged through me. I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms.
Leah and Caleb had grown up together. In his eyes, she would always be the priority.
It hadn't always been like this. In the beginning, Caleb and I had a smooth, easy love. We rarely fought, and when we did, he was always the first to apologize, to coax me out of my anger, taking all the blame whether it was his fault or not. Even Zoe used to tell me how lucky I was to have found a man who doted on me so completely.
That all ended six months ago. The day Leah came back into his life, his devotion shifted.
Karen, why are you just getting home now? Didnt I text you a while ago? Caleb emerged from the kitchen, his brow furrowed in disapproval. He was used to me dropping everything and rushing back the second he messaged.
I got held up, I said evenly.
What could possibly be more important than dinner? His tone was flat, but the accusation was clear.
I had no intention of telling him about the marriage. If I was leaving, then from this moment on, Caleb was a stranger to me. This trip was just to get my things.
Nothing. Work is sending me on a business trip. I came back to pack.
Without waiting for his reaction, I walked straight to the bedroom.
But when I opened the door, I froze.
The bed, which I had made perfectly that morning, was a rumpled mess. The closet doors were open, clothes spilling out.
I could have ignored all of that.
But on the nightstand, the delicate, handcrafted model skyscraper my grandfather had built for me lay in pieces, snapped in half.
Tiny fragments littered the floor like fallen stars.
Something inside me snapped. Caleb! I screamed his name. Who was in this room? Who broke my things?
He walked in, his expression shifting from a brief frown to one of complete indifference.
Its just a model, he said dismissively. Ill find someone to glue it back together for you.
I stared at him, stunned.
His casual tone felt like a physical blow, telling me in no uncertain terms that I, and the things I cherished, meant nothing to him.
And with that sentence, I knew. It had to be Leah.
Only she could inspire this level of blind, thoughtless protection from him.
Leah broke it, didnt she? I stated it as a fact, my voice devoid of emotion.
But my quiet words were a lit match to his short fuse. His face contorted with anger.
Do you have any proof it was Leah? he snarled. Maybe it was just unstable and fell on its own! Stop making baseless accusations, Karen. Before you blame her, youd better have evidence, or I swear Ill sue you for slander!
I bit the inside of my cheek so hard I tasted blood.
He was really going to defend her to the end. Id said one sentence, and now I was a slanderer.
The Caleb from six months ago would never have been like this.
I fell in love with him on a rainy night. Id been in a car accident, and hed run all the way to me, not even stopping for an umbrella. This man, usually so composed and proper, had completely lost his cool, screaming at the other driver and getting into a fistfight for my sake.
What had happened to that man?
I didn't argue further. Just as hed said, I had no proof.
I knelt carefully, picking up the scattered shards, gathering the two broken halves of the tower.
Just then, Leahs pitiful voice drifted from the doorway. She limped into the room.
Caleb, please dont fight with Karen! she cried. Even if I didnt do it, if she wants to blame me, she can. No ones ever liked me anyway. Its normal for her not to like me either.
With that, she deliberately hobbled over and knelt beside me.
She planted her foot firmly on one of the larger fragments and twisted her shoe, grinding it into the floor.
Then, in a voice so low only I could hear, she whispered, I did it. So what?
Rage, pure and hot, shot through me. I moved to push her away.
But before I even touched her, she threw herself backward, collapsing onto the floor.
Her bandaged ankle collided perfectly with the corner of the nightstand.
A split second later, she was wailing. Karen, I was just trying to help!
Before I could process what had happened, Caleb grabbed a handful of my hair and yanked my head back.
I had never seen him like this. His face was a mask of fury, his eyes blazing with a hatred so intense it felt like he wanted to kill me.
Even if you dont like her, you dont have to hurt her like this! Shes injured, for Gods sake!
My hair was pulled so tight I was forced to look up at them, a bitter taste flooding my mouth, my heart feeling like it was being ripped to shreds.
I didnt even touch her!
A sharp crack echoed in the room as his palm connected with my cheek.
A fiery red handprint bloomed instantly on my skin.
Youre still lying? Karen, do you think Im blind? I was standing right here! I saw the whole thing! he roared. First, you falsely accuse her, and now you push her down. I never knew you were such a cruel-hearted, venomous woman!
The air left my lungs. I couldn't form a single word of defense.
In his current state, he wouldnt believe anything I said anyway.
He let go of my hair, looking down at me with cold disgust.
No excuse, right? Youre a toxic bitch, Karen.
He looked at me with such profound disappointment.
And in that moment, I felt a strange sense of release. If Id been holding onto one last sliver of hope, it was gone now.
There was only quiet acceptance.
No more defending myself. No more struggling to explain.
As Caleb scooped Leah into his arms, she shot me a triumphant look over his shoulder, mouthing a single, silent sentence.
I understood it perfectly.
You think you can compete with me for him?
If you want him that badly, hes all yours.
Caleb, frantic with worry about Leahs re-injured ankle, rushed her to the hospital.
I slowly, unsteadily, got to my feet.
The full-length mirror showed my reflection: one side of my face a blazing, angry red.
The handprint was starkly visible. I could only imagine the force he had used.
A bitter laugh escaped my lips. I reached up and wiped away the trickle of blood from the corner of my mouth.
This single slap had shattered every last illusion I'd held onto.
I took the opportunity to pack. I gathered every piece of clothing, every personal item, and stuffed it all into suitcases.
Anything I could take, I took. Anything I couldnt, I threw in the trash.
Before I left, I found a real estate agent and listed the apartment online.
It was my apartment. A gift from my grandfather, bought with his retirement savings.
It was supposed to be our marital home.
Now, there was no reason to keep it.
Anything dirty, I threw out. It disgusted me now.

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